specific needs of children and elderly left behind as a ... - IOM Moldova

CHAPTER II
• Passive involvement of local public authorities, of civil society or of
community in solving issues the elderly are confronted with: “a deficiency
of social services provided by the local public administration (III_EE_7).
In conclusion we could mention that the Republic of Moldova lacks social
or medical services destined to the elderly left behind. Medical and
social policies on providing services insist on a complex approach for all
categories. Most often the category of the elderly left behind is referred to
in the branch of services provided to the old people. Meanwhile, over the
last years, an intense growth of social services was observed. In some
localities their implementation resulted from the elaboration of particular
strategic plans or social maps.
At the community level we indentified the existence of a limited number
of social services. Specialized social services representing a filter in
preventing the institutionalization of the elderly and provided by specialized
day care services or temporary placement centres are very few. Social
services of high specialization – residential care services – continue to
be the most requested ones due to the restraint access to other types of
social services.
The idea of providing services for money for this category of elderly is
relevant in cases where it is confirmed that migrant children are able to
pay for the services. We still indicate the low participation of local public
authorities in developing community services that will solve the issues
the elderly are confronted with.
NOTE
8
Code no. 1316 of
26.10.2000.
• Family members addressing the local institutions before migrating
abroad
Article 80 of the Family Code 8 stipulates the obligation of children who
reached the age of majority to support their parents: “children who
reached the age of majority and are able to work are obliged to support and
take care of parents who are unfit to work and require financial support”.
Thus, children before leaving abroad should decide where their parents will
live and who will look after them. But in reality, the number of those who
decide on a person to take care of the elderly in the future is very small:
“we had a case when children wanted to give money to the social worker for
taking care of the elderly but we don’t do this for money we only can find a
person who will look after the elderly for money but this happens seldom....”
(FG_EE_urban_rural), most often the interviewed experts said “there are no
such cases” or ”children don’t contact social workers before going abroad, very
often they delegate this to relatives or acquaintances” (FG_EE_urban_rural).
The representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and
Family mentioned that duties should be enlarged and penalties should
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